


Tied Together

by KillerKissed



Category: Original Work, exophilia - Fandom, teratophilia - Fandom
Genre: Action, Drama, F/M, Fantasy, Female Reader, Love, Monster - Freeform, Monster Boyfriend, Reader Insert, Sex, Smut, crocodile - Freeform, monster love, reader - Freeform, reptile boyfriend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2020-02-27 10:10:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18736930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillerKissed/pseuds/KillerKissed
Summary: A mystical village deep within the swamps leads to romance and mystery in my new series featuring a male monster.





	1. Chapter 1

For thousands upon thousands of years, the swamp near your village has held many mysterious. It was deep-rooted in superstition, rumors, gossip, and lies.

There were many patrons that held the people that lived within the swamp in high regards. They said the people could fix their problems. It didn’t matter if it was money, fertility, love, or any other thing you desired.

They could give it to you.

For a price.

There were always tricks to it though. You must be wise when going to them. Your wits must be about you. Not any fool can make a deal with mystics and come back unscathed.

The positive side of having such powerful beings close to home is that they were on extremely good terms with your village. The two groups lived in harmony. There were no ill feelings of any sort if anything happened during a deal gone wrong.

Everyone knew what the price could be.

That is why as your father marched you and your brother through the trail of logs into the village of Yassal to the mystics that you did not hate them.

You just hated your brother.

You were second to oldest. You were hard working, determined, and driven.

Your brother?

If a pig could be any lazier, it would stand up on two legs and be walking beside you now.

But the oldest son is the oldest son. You were second and most importantly, a daughter.

You walked through the village of beautifully constructed wooden homes. The Magic is the Yassal village was said to have come from the earth so no wonder the trees blessed them with homes that come from the seed.

Each was elegantly done with intricate designs carved into their walls. Everything meant something important to their culture. You assumed it could be a story of their life that was etched across the grain.

Deeper into the swamp, a hut seemed to have been grown from the ground up. It was almost as if the very place before your eyes was the heart of it all. It loomed over everything else with a strong vibration of power throbbing from its very foundation. The ivy crawled like snakes up the walls and over top. The trees seemed to lean over it, protecting it from the damaging sun.

You shivered as you came closer to the door. Your dad nudged your brother. “Go first.”

Your brother made a scoffing noise before yanking the door open and entered. A whoosh of air seemed to escape and push both you and your dad back. The two of you shook it off before following.

Several members of Yassal were inside, seems to be carrying on a business. You dare to catch a glimpse.

The members of Yassal seemed to have many shared traits. Their skin was a warm color with a cast of a sheen like a fish with scales in the light. A faded cherry red was on their bodies in different spots like birthmarks. They have in all sizes and symbols. Some folks seem to only have one where others had symbols from head to toe. The people were similar in body shape to humans like your tribe. The only difference is that some of them had a few extra additions to their form. You have seen many with an extra set of arms, legs, fingers, eyes, and even a tail. You knew a few people had webbed appendages. There was sailor talk at the local bar that some of the Yassal have different genitals than humans. That always made you curious but how do you even ask more about that in a conversation?

Besides all that, the Yassal tended to have similar colors in eyes and hair as humans did. They even had albinos.

The story was that the ancestors of the Yassal came here to settle and found a human tribe. They must have been further from humans all those years ago. You wish you knew what they looked like.

Your brother was whispering to your dad and broke your thoughts. You glanced over with annoyance before a small Yassal woman came over. She waved to your family, the brackets on her arms jingling as she did so.

“He’s ready for you.” She motioned, leading the way through the hut.

It seemed to be bigger on the inside. You trailed after her, watching her bright red hair which was braided down her back swing back and forth. The yassal were just more free with the clothing. A good portion of her leg was showing in a skirt that reached her knees and her top showed shoulders. You glanced to see your brother ogling the poor girl and you reached back, smacking him lightly. He gave you a look and frowned. Your dad seemed to approve.

She led you to a room with the curtains closed. Your family entered the room to see an older man sitting on the opposite side of the room with another younger man sitting beside him with a fire in the middle. You sat on the floor around the fire, pooling your dress around you.

The man spoke to your dad as he sat. “You have come. Do you understand by coming here that you take full responsibility for what may come?” Your dad agreed. “From what I understand, your boy is not living up to expectation. But your daughter is outstanding. You want to even the scales?”

“Yes.” Your dad agreed. “She will be fine if her deeds rub off on her brother. I just cannot have a first son that acts this way.”

You could see your brother more annoyed by the second. You chewed on your tongue not to laugh. You looked across the way to see the younger Yassal looking at you. His eyes seem to gleam in the darkness of the room with the fire dancing in his pupils. His look was practically predatory. Strong, bold features made him stand out from most of the Yassal people. His warm markings seem to really gleam, even the ones underneath his coverings. You looked away from the intensity. It was none of your business to stare.

The older Yassal raised his hands towards the fire. “Let’s begin.”


	2. Chapter 2

Your body jerked and you sat up, in a room covered in random markings that meant nothing to you. You looked down at your hands that were covered in some sort of weird colored paste. You sniffed at it, getting an aroma of berries.

“Don’t lick it. It’s poisonous if you ingest it. Perfectly harmless on the skin though.”

You jolted and glanced behind you to see the younger Yassal from earlier. He had a knife, carving into a colorful fruit. Upon getting a closer look at him, you could see that he was much further from the human side of his lineage. His nose was broader with his features mirroring more of the alligators that his beneath the murky waters of the swamp. His eyes were large and round, colored in a hazel but in the shadows, seemed to reflect back. As he ate the food on the knife, you could see row after row of teeth.

“Who are you?”

His eyes flickered towards you. He leaned forward from his chair and rest his arms on the headboard of the small cot you had been laying in. “Natyn. Who are you besides the girl that her dad wants to magically make a son?”

“He wants my brother to be better for your information.” You turned around on the cot and sat with your legs crossed before telling him.

“Is that what he told you?” He slid the knife with ease into a chunk of the fruit and raised it up to you. “He’s more greedy than you think. He pays for his profit in the weight of your body.”

You took the piece gingerly. “What do you mean?”

“Your society…” He clicked his tongue together before sliding it along the length of the knife before making eye contact with you. “It doesn’t put much worth into a strong woman. You can’t sell a strong woman. For-profit, people use daughters like currency but you won’t make much from his standing point right now. But if you’re complacent, quiet, easy…we’ll, you’re worth as much as gold.”

“What’s being done?”

“You’re staying here for a while.” He slid another piece of the fruit and held it to you. You shoved the first piece into your mouth and took the new piece. “You’ll be with us. Your brother is here as well but you two won’t be seeing much of each other.”

You wiped your mouth with the sleeve of your dress. “Why are you here?”

“Because I don’t trust people.” Natyn stood up, several heads taller than you expected. “Your dad gives me a bad feeling.”

“He’s not a bad man.” You murmured, feeling like you were saying that more for yourself than to him.

“Whatever you want to believe.” He cut a final piece off and gave it to you. You took it again and added it to the piece before. “You’ll be with me so once you’re ready, I’ll help you up and we can get going.”

You ate quietly for a moment before looking up at him and wiping your hands off. “Fine, I’m ready.”

“Don’t look so sad.” He came over and helped you with ease. “At least we won’t sell you for magical profit.”

“You’re not very funny.”

“Thank the gods I’m not a jester, right?”

The corner of your mouth turned up finally after fighting a smile. He patted you softly on the back and helped your somehow weak legs move towards the door.

“Did my dad leave us here? I mean…was that the plan all along?”

“No.” The two of you entered a hallway with paintings all along the walls. “The plan was very different, to begin with…But fate made sure that wouldn’t happen.”

“What was going to happen?” You looked up at his very serious face.

He shook his head and murmured. “You don’t want to know.”

“I have a right.” You pleaded with him as you made your way down the hall to what looks like the waiting room you had been in before.

“I know you do. But it’s hard to say things like what I know when I know you stand before me as a loving daughter.”

“The illusion of a glass house can only last so long.” He brought you back outside to where the darkness of night blanketed the village.

“Another time, Miss.” He whispered, helping you deeper into the village as frogs and crickets sang their song.

The village was pretty at night. There was an almost bioluminescent look to it with the way the plant life was like a burning ember. It was as if there truly was a living spirit in this place.

He brought you to a little wooden hut. He opened the door and helped you inside. You were so exhausted at this point that you didn’t even take a good look at the inside. You were really only focused on the bed that was on the other side of the room. Natyn was more carrying you at this point. He gently placed you on the bed, the comfort of it almost swaddling you to sleep.

“I’ll come to get you in the morning, okay?” He put a blanket over your form and brushed some stray hairs behind your ear.

You looked at him once more before the drowsy feeling was dragging you to sleep. “Why are you being nice to me?”

There was a soft sound from him, like a deep rumble within his chest. Your eyes were closing slowly.

You never heard his answer.


	3. Chapter 3

“Come on, girl! Your daddy said you were a hard worker but I have yet to see it!” His voice bellowed.

You had been dragged from a heavy slumber to the village outside and into the deep swamps. Natyn was a giant amongst most of the Yassal’s. You hadn’t realized that when he took you to your new home or when you were in the tree house before. But when he carried himself swiftly through the village, he made quite the impression even amongst his own people.

Despite his size, the man was quick and easy on his feet. You honestly had to keep up. In the daylight, you could really see him for what he was.

He was a cross between a man and an alligator. A heavy looking tail dragged behind him. He had several braided pieces in his hair which were braided into bigger pieces and formed neatly down his back. There was little flecks of auburn in his deep brunette hair which caught the sunlight. He was really quite handsome. You were delighted to see a Yassal in the full daylight. They were exquisite.

“I can feel you staring.” He glanced back, the sun catching the reflections in his eyes.

“You’re so amazing. Like you existing here before my eyes as something otherworldly.” You padded your way across the log and scratched at the weird flaking marks they had drawn on your skin.

“Thanks. The history of our people say we are descended from the gods directly. They continue to bless us to keep our powers even when our blood mingles.”

“That must be something else. You and your people are truly blessed.”

He smiled as he waited for you to cross. “We are worshipped by many.”

“As you should be.” You made it to the other side with ease. “Where are we going? What are we doing out here?”

“First off, you need a bath. Second off, we need food.”

“I’m bathing out here? I could have just done that in a washtub back at the village.”

He patted your shoulder. “It’s a different experience here. The water is cleaner.”

“It’s a swamp.” You were skeptical.

“All the better.” Natyn showed all his teeth with a grin before wading ankle deep into water, moving through bushes and debris as the ivy got thicker and thicker.

“What about the snakes?” You whispered, feeling like the swamp was starting to get darker and more secluded.

“Don’t worry about the predators.” A low rumble came in front of you from Natyn as the water slowly rose. “They got something bigger to be scared of.”

You were about neck deep into the water when the trees finally broke free into a clearer area. The water was a lot more clean from all the swamps natural foliage. It seemed to be pulled from a couple different waterways and back into the swamp from the way you came. There was some wildlife around like frogs but nothing too major or so it seemed.

Natyn pulled himself from the deep water and laid on the edge like he was sunning. “You may clean yourself now.” He tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

“I’m not doing it in front of you.” You barked, soaked from head to toe at this point.

He didn’t even more except for the corner of his mouth. “I’m not looking.”

You grumbled around for a bit before yanking the wet clothes they had given you off and on to the land. You viciously scrubbed your body with your hands, the once dry marks on your body now disappearing into the water. You scrubbed your scalp really well with your nails, trying to get as clean as you could. You glanced back behind you to see the big man with his eyes open and propped up on his elbows. “They should have sent a female Yassal. I wouldn’t be preyed upon then.” You turned to face the other way.

“It wouldn’t have been any better.” He called out. “They may like you too.”

“Oh, yeah?” You hummed. “So you like me?”

“I do.”

You heard him get into the water. You squinted your eyes and looked back to watch him slither closer. “You don’t know me.”

“I do a little bit. You could say I’m a little smitten with you.” He kept just his face above the water as he was crouched down.

“How so?” You crossed your arms over your chest and turned to face him a little bit more.

You watched his eyes travel your body before making eye contact again. “I helped with the offer your dad made. The Magic we have is invasive. We learn more than we want about the people involved. So I do know you even though you don’t know me. You’re very spunky. You fight your brother every step of the way and win. You do love your father but it hurts to think that he doesn’t love you as much he should. You inspire to be something. Something greater than that shithole could ever give you.”

You pursed your lips together for a moment. He seemed to slide just under the water enough to where his eyes stayed above. “I guess that’s correct.” You finally said, rubbing your thumb against your clean skin. “Will you tell me what was done differently than what was originally planned for my brother and I?”

“I cannot.” He stood up fully, towering above you. “It won’t make any difference. It didn’t happen.”

“I need to know what my father agreed on.”

“It will only hurt you.” Naytn murmured. “Can you not let it rest?”

“It will forever haunt me.”

He seemed conflicted. “I will tell you when you can handle it.”

“But I can handle knowing you’re deeply in love with me.”

You watched his grin slowly spread. “I never said that. I am smitten.”

You hummed again and turned your back to him. “Oh, I’m sure. Now get out of the water and close your eyes. I’m done.”

“Are you sure? I could clean any spot that needs extra help.”

“Natyn!”


	4. Chapter 4

_Do you know where you are?_

It was an out of body voice that spoke to you in a swamp with the heaviest fog you’d ever seen. There was a dangerous feeling that floated in the air.

_Do you know why you are here?_

The voice grew louder. You were frozen in place with a deep fear that was starting to spread through your veins.

A giant alligator head that looked like it could swallow a mountain slowly rose above the muddy waters.

_A wish was made and a wish was fulfilled. But not the same wish and not the same fulfillment. Do you know who you are?_

The alligator opened its great mouth to show all its teeth. You felt like the swamp opened up beneath your feet and you dropped into the ground.

Your heart is in your throat when the drums pull you from your sleep inside the hut.

It’s late, you are worn out from getting used to pulling your weight in the village. The life of a farm girl was much different from the life of someone who lived in this village.

You pulled your heavy body from the cot to shake off the feeling of your dream before you wanted to the doorway. You pulled the curtain that hid your world from theirs. It was as if it was looking into a different world.

There were dancers in the distance with their shadows cast against all the huts. They look like mystical creatures. You find yourself smiling at the actions. You pull the curtains and press your forehead against the frame of the door. Another little secret that you were allowed to see, you thought to yourself. It was a beautiful thing to be apart of something like this. You would have never been able to have been apart of such a life if your family had been normal.

Your father.

Your thoughts drifted back to your dream as the drumming in the distance increases. You steady yourself as you slowly drag yourself back to bed.

A wish was made and a wish was fulfilled.

You laid yourself back down and watched the world tip as your head hit the pillow. Sleep was not yours.

You worked like an animal the next day. Your mind was almost shut off as your body went into instinct. They had natural gardens deep within the trees that seemed to grow hallow but full of life. They were like secret hideaways. The trees went deep into the ground and high above the clouds. They seemed to stretch for worlds and worlds beyond.

Your basket was full. You made your way up the natural steps to the exit.

“Farmgirl is farming still.” The voice teased.

You glanced up the steps to see the dashing young Natyn. “Come back from the hunt already?”

“Yes, because I am a good provider.” He poses on the steps with his massive size casting a shadow down.

“Or the prey die of fright at such a beast that lurks?”

He shrugged and helped you up the stairs, far away from the darkness of the bottom where the forbidden good grew. “They could.” He whispered as he took the basket in one hand. “But what is far more frightening is that even when I’m away, I cannot bring myself away from the thought of you.”

“What a jester.” You murmured, becoming embraced by the arm that was around you.

“So frightful on these lonely nights.” He grinned as if to show all his teeth.

“Speaking of nights,” You replied as it dawned on you, “What was going on last night? I heard the drums. It woke me up from a dream.”

“The drums were apart of a celebration. A birthday of an elder. Nothing too spectacular. You said you had a dream? Anything interesting?”

You tapped your finger against the basket as the sun greeted you once away upon leaving the tree. He gave it back to you as the two of you wandered to a set of several trees that were all intertwined together. “There was an eerie voice.”

“A nightmare?” He seemed concerned.

“ I’m not entirely sure. I wasn’t scared when I woke up but I was in my dream. It was speaking to me, asking questions.” You dropped the basket off into a young Yassal’s hand before heading back to the garden tree. You heard giggles from the hut as you looked up to see many young yassal’s peeking out the curtains of the hut to get a look as Natyn. “Asking me if I knew who I was.”

“You’re you.” He grabbed an empty basket off the ground.

“What does that mean exactly? Why am I here?” You turned to him.

Naytn was looking back to where you came. “Let’s go.”

“I want answers.” You started walking back to the garden tree. “I want real answers.”

“I don’t know what to give you.”

You grabbed the basket from him. “A wish fulfilled. I know what the Yassal are. I know we ask for things and get them for a cost. What explain to me how it works. Explain to me what we have to give to get what we want.”

“Is that a conversation you want to have?”

“Yes.” There was a slightly desperate tone that coated your words.

“Meet me at your village tonight.” He stopped at the entrance to the tree. You looked down into the spiraling garden that bares what you need to survive. You look back at him to see him looking at you and only you. “On the outskirts.”

“It’s a date.”


	5. Chapter 5

A long silhouette of a man that was a little closer to the Gods than you were did not turn to face you as you approached.

The moon seemed to be in arms reach as the two of you shared space on the outskirts of your old home.

“How do you want this? Soft and easy?” His voice seemed distant.

You snuggled yourself in the shrug you brought along from the hut. “Just tell it outright.”

“Your father wanted a son. An only son. A good son.” Those alligator eyes found you in the night.

Your face twisted. There was a repulsion at first. Then a wave of anger was deep in your belly. “What does that mean? What does that mean?” You whispered, staring at the flickering lights of the village you once called home.

“Your father would wish and be granted an only son. Your mother wouldn’t remember you. Your neighbors, cousins, friends. Nothing. You’d be…gone. In exchange, your brother would have those qualities. Your qualities.” His jaw seemed like it was twitching.

“They don’t remember me? I could run down there and scream, throw a fit, and no one would know it was me?”

“If I let it happen.” Natyn clicked his jaws together as if he was trying to force the anger out of his throat. “I did…like the way your father spoke about your family. Like you guys were nothing to him but a means to an end. I’ve seen a lot of wishes granted that I did not agree with…but that? My stomach rolled.” He reached for you, fingers seemed to beg to grip you as if to remind himself that you were real.

You leaned into his touch even though hot coal seemed to be burning through your stomach lining. You didn’t have any words. Your tongue felt so heavy in your mouth.

“Then I saw you.” He whispered. “I saw you with your family, making into the swamp. It felt like the guillotine. I could see the blade of fate at your throat. We see things, my people do. I saw fate that day. I ran like the wind back home and flung myself at my father. I told him I could not live with what was to transpire. I could not stand for it. He told me to take matters into my own hands because I would lead our people one day. It would be one day so this would be a test.” He breathed in deep as if to fill his lungs with every inch of air. “Everyone remembers you, no memories were taken. You exist. We took the negative factors out of your brother but the cost? The balance in it?”

You looked at him as you were now hanging on every word. “What did you do?”

“I pulled the negative from your brother and pushed it into your father.” Natyn collapsed as if the weight of his words were finally falling on his own shoulders. “He’s in jail. In a rage, he killed another man that was fueled by his own darkness.” He put a hand to his chest. “Balance is paid but at what costs? I cost a man his life. I am cursed by the Gods but also so blessed.” He looked up at you.

You dropped to the ground on your knees with him and just pulled him to you. “Darkness is always in people. You cannot stop what will happen. It was going to happen and you must understand me clearly. This was always going to happen. We blind ourselves with love so we do not see the monster in people but my father was not a good man. If he did not kill me, my mother, or my brother in a fit of rage, it was always going to be someone else.”

“I should have struck him down when I first saw him.” Natyn took your hands into his. “He would have disappeared in the swamp and no one would have known any better. An easy fix. A simple fix.”

You reached forward and stroked his face. “You are not to blame yourself.” The coal in your stomach was gone. You only felt grief for Natyn. He was so upset with himself. “You cannot. You are so good.”

“I didn’t want to tell you but honestly, you are taking it better than I am.” He chuckled to himself.

You pulled him even closer to your body, savoring in the warmth of another being. You just wanted to wrap yourself in kindness and love. You had several emotions swimming in your body. “I’m unsure how I feel. It’s just new. Everything feels fresh.”

The two of you looked upon the village below. “I’m just angry. I feel like I could have done things better or things could have been different.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it much more.” You whispered against his skin.”We cannot change the past.”

His fingers made circles on your arm. “There are many things we could do…even including the past.”

You paused for a moment, just barely able to grasp the amount of immense power that the Yassal had within their fingers. “Hush now let’s just stay until we feel like walking.”

“If we stay here, it feels like we don’t have to grow up. I could stay in this moment forever. Just stop time.” Naytn looked at you. “I could stay with you.”

You held onto him. “We have to go back home though.”

“You think of my home as home?”

A soft smile spread on your face. “It’s been so nice there. I do feel good about being there. It’s not the village.” You looked back at where you were raised. “It seems so foreign to me now.”

He gripped your hands. “Then let’s go home. I’ll stay in your hut tonight. I don’t want you to be alone and I definitely don’t want to be by myself either.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss against his cheek. His skin was just a little tougher than a human’s. “Thank you for telling the truth.”

“I’d do anything you’d ask of me.”


End file.
